Headrest for caskets



Sept. 23. 19z4..- 15mm J. c. RUMSEY HEADREST FOR CASKBTS' Filed March 10 1924 present invention, and in Patented Sept. 23,1924.

JOHN C. RUIVISEY, 0F LAW'RENGE, KANSAS.

HEADEEST FOR CASKETS,

Application filed March 10, 1924i. Serial N0. 688,165.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. RUMsEY, a citizen of the United States, and residentof Lawrence, county of Douglas, State of Kansas, have invented a certain new and useful- Improvement in Headrests for Caskets, of which the following is a complete specification.

The present invention relates to devices used in undertaking operations, and has particular reference to the supporting means used for maintaining the head of a corpse at the proper elevation Within the casket, and preventing the head from settling down out of the desired position, and for conveniently varying the heads position in case a readjustment of the same should become necessary.

For this purpose I have devised a simple and efficient device of this character, comprising a lightand portable construction adapted to be conveniently placed in the proper position within the casket,.and held in this position by means of the cushion material forming the interior upholstery of the casket, and provided with a head rest element adjustably supported with reference to the base portion of the device.

One of the features oft-he improved de vice is the provision for not only adjusting the head rest element to any necessary elevation above the bottom of the casket, but also for pivotally adjusting the head rest element about a transverse axis for accommodating thehead of the corpse in the most natural position.

It is'also sought to provide an improved device of this character which may be folded in convenient compact form for pack ing purposes, or at other times when the device is not in actual use. a

With the foregoing general objects in View, the invention will now be described by reference to the'accompanying drawing illustrating a practical and efficient form of construction for embodying the invention, after which those features deemed to be novel will be particularly set forth and claimed. 1

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a device constructed 'in accordance with the partly unfolded or operative position;

Figure 2 is a sideelevation, showing the device in folded or collapsed position, to-

gether with dotted lines illustrating the head rest member in raised or operative posltion;

Figure 3 is a side view of a casket, with one end slightly broken away to disclose the interior, with my improved device in operative position; and

Figure fl: is an enlarged detail section, taken on the line IVIV of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, this illustrates the improved device as comprising a suitable base frame 10 which may be of the rectangular form illustrated, or any other preferred shape, adapted to be supported on the interior bottom face of a casket 12, as illustrated in Figure 3. To the corners at one end of this base frame 10 are pivoted, as indicated at 14, the lower ends of a pair of supporting arms 15, tothe other ends of which are pivotally connected, as indicated at 15, the ends of a transverse frame piece 16 forming a part of the middle portion of a head rest member, indicated gener ally by the reference numeral 17. This head rest element is formed with laterally projecting extensions 18 which are inclined upwardly for preventing any sidewise movement of the pillow 19 which is adapted to be received within the-head rest,'as illustrated in Figure 3. The middle portion of the head rest 17 carries a bracket element 20, to which is pivotally connected, as indicated at 21, a latch element 22 formed with a series of teeth 23 for latching engagement with a pin 24 carried by the upper portion of one of the arms 15. By this, means, the head rest member 17 may be swung into different angular positions about the pivots 15, and securely latched in any position of angular adj ustment. i

At intermediate points on the arms 15 are pivotally connected as indicated at 25) the ends of a pair of brace arms 26, the opposite ends of which are joined by a cross member 27 provided with knobs 28 at the outside of the frame 10, for convenient manual engagement and operation of the arms 26. The shanks of the knobs 28, as indicated at 29 in Figure 4, project through slots 30 in the sides of the frame 10, the lower margins of which slots are formed with a series of rack teeth 31 adapted for engagement with the shank portions 29 of the knobs 28. With this arrangement, the arms 15 may be folded within the base frame 10 when the device is to be packed, or is not in use, as

represented by the full lines in Figure 2, or the cross member 2"? may be shifted back and forth with-in the frame 10 for raising and lowering the arms 15 through the medium of the brace arms 26, and thus supporting the head rest element at the different elevations, and latching the arms 15 in their positions of adjustn'ient, by engagment of the shank portions 29 with the teeth 31. The provision of the slot 30 with the teeth 31 along one edge of the slot, serves to facilitate the adjustment of the brace arms, by preventing movement of the shank portions of the knobs entirely out of operative relation to the rack teeth.

The function of the improved device will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, the same being useful in all circumstances requiring a supporting device as a head rest, but being especially adapted for use as a head rest member in the manner illustrated in Figure 3. In placing the device in position, the cushion or upholstery material 33 with which the casket is ordinarily provided is parted sufiiciently for introducing the device within said material and resting the base frame 10 directly upon the upper interior face of the bottom of the casket. The base frame 10 maybe shifted as much as necessary upon the bottom of the casket to bring the device in the desired position at the head end of the casket, and then the material 33 compacted firmly. around the supporting elements of the device, for preventing any casual lateral displacement of the device after it has once been located in the desired position. Prior to this packing, however, bf the material about the upper portion of the arms 15 and brace members 26, the arms 15 are adjusted upwardly to the required extent to present the head rest element at the proper elevation for carrying the pillow 19 above the cushion material 33. After this adjustment for the proper height has been made, the head rest member 17 may then be tilted aboutthe axis of the pivots 15 for accommodating the head of the corpse in the most natural position, whereupon the 7 head rest may be latched in this adjusted position by the mean of the latch element 22. The pillow is then mounted in the head rest element 17, the extensions 18 of which prevent the pillow or the head of the corpse from becoming displaced to either one side or the other.

It is well known that with the usual means employed ,for supporting the head of the corpse, using a 'pillow resting upon the cushion or upholstery material, the latter becomes gradually depressed, due to the settiling of the material, and unless some additional supporting means is employed the head will also become lowered below the position required for presenting, the most natural appearance of the deceased. With the improved means above described, these objections are overcome, and a positive structure is afforded for not only adjusting the head rest to the proper elevation and angle, but also maintaining this position of the head rest in its final position of adjustment, even. though the cushion materiai forming the casket couch may settle to a material. extent. The supporting structure itself is maintained in approximately the position inv which it is located originally, by the surrounding cushion or upholstery material 33, in which the device has been embedded. In case of a shipment of the casket to some distant point, during which the cushion or upholstery material may become packed and settled to an unusual extent, leaving the head of the corpse unduly ele vated, a further adjustment of the head rest may be readily and'conveniently made by simply reaching beneath the pillow and manipulating the latchmember 2 3 or the supporting arms 26 for lowering the head rest element 17, all of which maybe done without removal of any part of the structure,

It will thus be seen that I havedevised a simple, efficient and inexpensive device for fulfilling the desired object of the invention, and while I have illustrated what now is thought to comprise the preferred form of construction, I desire tobe understood as reserving the right to make all such changes and modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A head rest for caskets, comprising in combination with the interior cushion material of a casket, asu. porting member adapted to be embedded in said material and to be maintained in position thereby, and a head rest element pivotally mounted on said supporting member and adjustable therewith to difi'erent elevations above the bottomof the casket.

2. A head rest for caskets, comprising in combination with the interior cushion material of a casket, a supporting member adapted to be supported on the inner face of the bottom of the casket and to be maintained in position by said cushion material, and a head rest comprising a head-supporting frame having its midportion pivotally connected to said supporting member, said member being comprised of adjustable sections adapted to carry said head rest element at different elevations above the bottom of the casket.

3. A head rest for caskets, comprising in combination with the interior cushion ma terial of a casket, a base frame adapted to be supported on the'inner face of the bottom of the casket and to be main.- tained in position by said cushion material, supporting arms pivoted to said frame,

supporting arms pivoted to said frame,

means for supporting said arms at various angles with relation to said frame, a head rest comprising a head-supporting frame having its midportion pivotally mounted on the upper ends of said supporting arms, and

means for latching said rest element at different angles with relation to said supporting arms.

A head rest for caskets, comprising in combination with the interior cushion material of a casket, a supporting member adapted to be embedded in said cushion material and to be maintained in position there-- by, and a head rest element formed with upwardly inclined side extensions and hav ing the intermediate portion of said element pivotally mounted on said supportingmemher and adjustable therewith to difi'erent elevations above the bottom of the casket.

In witness whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN C. RUMSEY. 

